Rita Heimes is Research Director at the International Association of Privacy Professionals. She is an attorney and academic with many years of experience in the fields of privacy, information security, and intellectual property law. In her role at the IAPP, Rita helps to promote the privacy profession through empirical and qualitative research on privacy functions globally as well as though outreach to academic institutions developing the next generation of privacy and security professionals.

Brand and reputation – the company’s “goodwill”—reflect customers’ trust. Losing that trust imperils the brand. Public companies believe consumer and employee privacy protection is vital to maintaining trust, according a recent study by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). The IAPP reviewed disclosure statements filed by more than 100...